


Good Cop/Bad Cop

by Meduseld



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Green Lantern (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Green Lanterns tell scary stories about him, Hal is Parallax's precious, Interrogation, Psychological Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-15 20:39:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11238759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meduseld/pseuds/Meduseld
Summary: When he wants to be, Hal can beterrifying.





	Good Cop/Bad Cop

The interrogation isn’t going well. Which is exactly the way Copperhead wants it. Superman and Flash clearly aren’t used to playing bad cop. And nothing about them screams ‘scary’. Sure, they both have incredible powers that could turn Copperhead into creamy salsa, but they’re too _good_ to use them. Superman shows up on the news all the time, all 'aw-shucks’ charm and downturned eyes. And Flash? Just ask the Rogues. They’re protective of the guy for fuck’s sake, because they’re all practically buddies.

Copperhead is working with _Lex Luthor_. He knows scary, and this ain’t it.

The door slides open and a Green Lantern steps in. Not the one usually seen on the 9'o clock news; a white guy instead. He says something Copperhead can’t catch and the other two reluctantly slide out. The Lantern leans on the closed door, and smiles. It seems oddly authentic. In his metal chair, Copperhead feels suddenly cold. He doesn’t know why. Against the door, Green is tapping his ring lightly against his thigh, and Copperhead can’t look away. It’s such a little thing. But so damned powerful. He’s seen it in action, though never in person. He doesn’t know anything about how it works.

“Hey” the Lantern says, coming up toward him slowly. He barely resists the urge to lean back, away. This guy, he knows nothing about. “I know you know something. And I need to know what that is. And you’re going to tell me, aren’t you? Aren’t we all friends here?” his voice is soft, _kind_ even, none of the hard edges someone like Bruno Mannheim might put into the threat. Because that’s what it is. “Yeah, sure, buddy” he tries, but it comes out more cowed than he means. Copperhead’s heart is pounding, soft voice or no.

The ring’s green light is soft and warm, but wrong somehow. Too alive, maybe. That light could turn into a hard construct any minute now. He doesn’t know if there are any limits to it, but there are no limits to his own imagination: turning it into knives, thumbscrews, pins and needles. Every hair on his body is standing up and he looks up suddenly into the Lantern’s face. It’s too damn close, when did he get so close?

He tries to focus his gaze, and it’s a mistake. Under the soft glow, there’s a small mask on his face. He has no eyes. Copperhead’s heart tries to jump out of his chest when all he sees is weirdly shining white spaces in the places where his eyes should be. _Just a mask_ , he tries to tell himself, but the white spaces move minutely, and he realizes they aren’t flat at all. They’re curved.

He wants to scream. Those are his eyes, there’s nothing there, his eyes are nothing and he’s so close and so is that damn green glow and - “What do you know?” He tells that soft calm voice everything.

In the observation room, Clark and Barry watch Hal nod sympathetically at Copperhead’s torrent of words. “Huh. So all we needed was a soft touch, then”.

**Author's Note:**

> A failed Wally+Clark interrogation really happened, and can be found [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQZRA3lCFao#t=141). I recommend watching the whole clip though, because it is hilarious. This whole thing is based on the premise that Hal’s been a Yellow Lantern, and Parallax’s favorite. So he’s got ‘the ability to instill great fear’ somewhere. And being Hal, it doesn’t look like that’s what’s happening from the outside.


End file.
